Jeopardized Love
by LukeNLorelaifanatic
Summary: After months of waiting, she's decided she's had enough. Will Luke and Lorelai be able to patch it up this time?
1. Waiting

"Your father?" Lorelai asked a little confused. Was this girl confused? She must be mistaken, she couldn't possibly be...

Just then, Luke ran out from the back room, but he stopped when he saw Lorelai talking to April. Lorelai looked up at him. It was there. The truth. Right there in his eyes. She looked into them, and there it was. The fear and apologetic look in the depths of his blue eyes confirmed it all.

"My biological father. Not really sure what to call him, it's kind of new. Not the biological part, that was years ago. I wonder if brown rice would work too? Brown might be more decorative, or it might backfire. People might think there're bugs in the salt. I should put some brown rice in one of the shakers and use it as a control group against the other ones."

Lorelai looked at Luke. Fear in her own eyes. As well as absolute, complete shock. She stood there, unable to believe what she was hearing. How? How could it be? How could he have a daughter? How could he have a daughter and not tell her?

"I thought you couldn't get away..." he said.

"I got away." she barely managed to say. It took a great deal to regain her speech.

"She said she wasn't a strangler." April said.

"Uh, you want to go outside and-"

"Uh-huh." she cut him off and walked outside.

"April, I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay." April said and nodded.

Luke walked outside to find Lorelai with her arms crossed and staring out at the town square.

"So she's -"

"Yeah." Luke cut in.

"Wow." was all she could say.

"I know."

"That's -"

"My daughter." he cut in again.

"I don't believe it."

"I still have trouble believing it."

"You have a -"

"Yeah."

"Right. And what is she, twelve?"

"Yeah. Twelve."

"Twelve years. Twelve years! This is for sure?"

"It's for sure."

"When'd you find out?"

"I just found out."

"Just? When just? She's in there filling salt shakers! It doesn't feel that new to me!"

"Two months ago."

_Two months! He's known for two months! _she screamed in anger and shock inside her head.

"Two months! That's a hell of a long time to go without telling me!" she said angrily.

"I know, I should have told you."

"She's cute." she said, looking away.

"Lorelai, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm sorry. It's all just a blur of stuff happening. I mean, she just came into the diner two months ago, no warning, talking about a science fair and how I may be her father and she pulled my hair out and DNA tested it, and then I wanted to forget the whole thing but I went to the fair and found out the truth. And we were at the park and she wanted to come here. And I called you today, wanting a moment to talk about it, but you were busy and so I put it off again and here we are."

"Here we are."

"It's stupid. I'm stupid."

"Look, I need to digest this, and you have to get back inside, so, uh, I'm just going to go someplace where I can digest this and we will just talk more later, okay?" she said. She needed to get away. Tears were welling in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She didn't want to cry. Not now, not in front of Luke.

"Sure. Whenever you want."

"Okay." she said, glancing back at the diner.

"I'm sorry."

Lorelai nodded, wrapped her coat tightly around her, and walked away. Luke watched her go, feeling bad and angry at himself for not telling her sooner. She was his fiance and she had a right to know. He walked back into the diner, knowing April was waiting for him.

oOoOo

It was now about two months later. She still wasn't over the shock. And her heart was filled with constant pain. The pain and fear that she would never marry Luke. The pain of not yet having had met April properly. It seemed that Luke wasn't ready for her to meet her yet. And that hurt.

She understood that he wanted to get to know her first. But it seemed like the whole town knew her already. Lane had said she would play board games with her all the time. Why had Luke let everyone else get to know her before his own fiance did? She was going to be her stepmother after all. She needed to develop a relationship with her before that happened. And she wanted April to like her. But that wasn't possible if she wasn't capable of knowing her.

She was finally ready. After all her many failed relationships, she was finally ready to settle down. To have the whole package. But would she get that package? That was the question that had sat floating in the front of her mind for the past two months. No matter how hard she tried to erase it, it wouldn't go away.

She hated that she did that. She hated that she was questioning Luke on their relationship. But it seemed that the more he was around April, the less he was around her. They used to spend a lot of time together. Now, it was different. April comes between seven and eight. She is to avoid the diner until then. Then she'd sometimes come in for a cup of coffee, but would then leave. And she'd go home, climb in bed, and feel Luke climb in next to her hours later.

Was it just her? Was she just so upset and worried about what would happen to them that it just seemed like things had changed, when maybe they actually hadn't? She didn't want to screw this up. Luke was the one, and she knew it. He'd always been the one. She had just been too blind to see that. It took her eight years to live up to the feelings she had buried deep inside her.

But, she couldn't do this. She wasn't old, but she wasn't that young either. She wanted to get married and have kids. But if she were going to have kids like Luke wanted, she couldn't exactly wait that long to do it. The older you get, the more dangerous it gets to have a baby. But did Luke even want kids anymore now that he has a daughter?

So many questions she had. And she wouldn't dare ask them to Luke. She had to act like everything was fine. She would get up in the morning and plaster a fake smile on her face for the day and then the thoughts would come back to her when she arrived home. She couldn't go on day after day having the same horrible thoughts. It was slowly eating her up. And if she didn't put a stop to it, she would eventually break down.

Her and Luke hadn't had a serious discussion in a long time. They needed to talk about so many things. When would he be ready for the wedding? How was April going to fit into all of this? Would he get joint custody? Would she be living with them? And then they had to re-plan the whole wedding. Seeing as the only thing left from the first attempt was her dress.

She decided she would just forget about it. She'd let some time pass and see what happened.

oOoOo

Two more months. That's how much time she had let pass by. Today, she was very upset. She was trying her hardest to hide it, but she felt terrible inside. It took a great deal of strength not to cry.

Sookie had been watching her closely. She had never seen her best friend this quiet before. But she knew the reason behind that. She watched Lorelai run about the Inn, doing work that wasn't hers. She saw her doing everything she could to keep herself busy. She had even skipped lunch. Lorelai never skips a meal.

She knew she should talk to her. Try to comfort her. She knew that she was only doing all of this so as not to have a break down in front of everyone. But today of all days, it was expected for her to act like this. Sookie left the confines of her kitchen and went to find her. She found her in room nine making the bed and tidying up. She walked over to her, took the bedsheets from her and placed them on the bed, and sat her down.

"Lorelai, maybe you should go home." she told her gently.

"Why?"

Sookie could hear the pain she was trying hard to hide in her voice. It hurt to see her like this. She looked at her sadly. She knew that she couldn't take this pain away. Nobody could. Not even Rory.

"We both know why Lorelai. Honey, you can't keep doing this to yourself. It's not like you to be this way. I've never seen you this way."

Lorelai sat there, letting the words Sookie just told her sink in.

"You're right.." she said.

"What?"

"You're right. I can't keep doing this to myself."

"No, you can't. Now just go home and rel-"

"I have to end it.." Lorelai said softly and sadly.

"What? End what?" Sookie asked confused.

"I have to go." she said and got up from the bed and walked out of the room.

o

oO

oOo

oO

o

**A/N: **Here it is! My third fic! A lot more dramatic and sad, but I needed to write it. I really hope you like it. I would love to thank my beta Lynn for helping me out! If it weren't for her help and opinion, I might not have posted this fic. So everyone be sure to appreciate her! Please review! I love them! They are what keep me going, as well as just about every author on here. lol


	2. I don't want to let you go

She walked down the Inn's front porch steps. Sadness filled inside of her as she thought about what she was about to do.

She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to give it up. But he wasn't all in and she was. He needed time to think. To figure out what he wanted. She needed time to think. Is this what he really wanted? He said he needed time. Time to get to know his daughter. She thought by now he'd know her better and be ready to commit. But he wasn't and she knew that.

He said he loved her. And she knew he did. But she couldn't live with the kind of love he was giving her. The kind of love that wasn't at it's fullest. She wanted love she couldn't live without. And she felt that. She felt that for him. But he didn't feel the same.

She'd always love him. More than he knew. But she couldn't be in this until he knew what he wanted. She drove home, and walked up to her room. The room they had expanded for them. She walked into their bathroom and looked into the mirror. She saw the reflection of a blotchy, tear stained face with red eyes. She hadn't even realised she'd been crying.

She buried her face in her hands and sat crying for a minute. Then she grabbed some things and walked back into the room. She pulled out an over night bag. She walked over to her dresser drawer and pulled out some clothes. She stuffed them into the bag.

She walked out of the room and out of the house. She got into her car and tossed the bag in the back. She drove her way to the diner and walked inside. Luke heard the tinkle of the bell and looked up to see Lorelai walking toward him. He was shocked when he saw the state of her. Her face was red and blotchy and he could tell she had been crying. He watched her walk up to the counter.

"Are you ok?" he asked worried.

"We need to talk." she said.

"Ok.." he said and led her upstairs.

She walked in. Her arms crossed and looking down at the ground. More tears falling from her eyes. She looked up at him and into his eyes.

He saw it. He saw in the two deep blue eyes of hers the pain and sadness. The once bright blue eyes that had been filled with happiness and laughter, had turned a deep shade of blue filled with hurt. He had seen pain in her eyes before. But today, right here, right now, it showed more than anything.

"What's wrong Lorelai?" he asked in a worried voice.

"Luke.." she said, her voice shaky. "I.. I can't do this."

"What? What can't you do?"

She looked back down to the floor. The tears coming faster and more frequently, rolling down her face and bluring her vision. The hurt in her voice was evident.

"This." she said, gesturing between them.

His face changed from confusion to shock. Was she serious? Why was she doing this? What had happened?

"Lorelai, what's wrong? Why are you changing your mind all of the sudden?"

"I'm ready Luke." she said, crying. "I'm in, all in. But.. you aren't. I think.. I think we need time."

She had barely gotten those words out. She was choking on tears. Her head was hazy and she couldn't exactly think straight. She felt lightheaded, as if she were about to just lose all concious and fall to the ground. It was like having a bad head cold. This was the hardest thing she ever had to do.

Luke stood there. He was struck with horror. What made her think he wasn't all in?

"No," he said shaking his head. "I am in. I told you I'm all in."

She smiled at him sympathetically. The pain on her face was more than he could take. He wished he could take her in his arms and take it all away. But he couldn't. He was the reason she felt this way.

"No you aren't." she said sadly. "You need time to get to know April, but I don't know how much time. But what I do know, is that I can't be in an engagement and live with the thought that it might not ever turn into something more."

"Lorelai I love you. You know that." he said finally realizing why she was doing this.

"There are two kinds of love Luke. The kind you can live with and the kind you can't live without. And it kills me to give up believing, but I can't live with myself if I stay. I don't want the kind of love I can live with. I want the kind I can live without."

He stood there, looking at her. Not exactly knowing what she meant. He watched as she took the engagement ring off. She held it for a minute, sadness overtaking her completely now. She looked down at it, remembering the night he gave it to her. Back when everything was perfect between them. She had been happy that night after he had given her that ring, very happy. And then she walked up to him, placed it in his palm, and closed his hand around it.

"Until you figure things out..." she said softly, crying harder now. She walked over to the door, opened it, and then disappeared behind it.

He watched her go, not believing what just happened. Had she really called off the engagement? She said just until he figured things out. But what things?

He sat on the bed and looked at the ring he had given her. And that's when he realized it.

He looked back at the past four months, and it hit him. He hadn't treated her the way she deserved. He had practically ignored her. He had been so wrapped up in April, that he had been so blind to see that he was slowly losing her. And he remembered that pain he saw in her eyes earlier. That pain had been there all along. And he didn't even see it. He then remembered that she had been sleeping fitfully for the past four months. She used to sleep soundly, his arm always around her, and her face always peaceful and calm. But now it was impossible to keep his arm around her because she would always toss and turn. And she wore a frown on her face everynight.

How could he not have see this? How could he just have let it pass him? And then, something hit him that made him feel horrible, more horrible than he already felt.

Today was June third. The day of their original wedding date.

oOoOo

She walked out of the diner, many stares following her. She climbed into the drivers seat and started the car. She pressed her foot on the gas and drove off. She had no idea where she was going, she just knew that she couldn't be here.

Her vision was blurred and it was hard to make out the roads. She took a hand off the steering wheel and wiped away her tears. Why did this have to happen? Where had things gone so wrong? It had been a year ago that they were happy, nothing to worry about. Except for battle between Lorelai and Rory. But other than that, things had been great.

The hardest part was she loved him. More than he knew. She had never loved another person as much as she loved Luke. She wished he knew that. But she didn't think he did.

And now here she was, driving away from her problem. Wanting to leave it behind. She needed time to herself. Time to think about what it was she was going to do. Should she move on? Or should she wait until he figured things out? Would he figure things out? She didn't know. And the last thing she wanted was to move on. She knew if she did, she'd never truly be happy again.

She turned on the radio. Apparently today was the day of depressing music. Every single station seemed to be playing sad songs. She cried harder, but tried to contain herself. She didn't want to get in a wreck.

Hours she drove. She just kept driving around. She knew by looking at a couple of signs that she was somewhere in the depths of Maine. She saw a hotel and pulled into the parking lot. She got out, grabbed her overnight bag, and walked in.

After she got herself a room, she took a nice, hot shower. She put on her pajamas and crawled into the bed, pulling the covers around her. She hadn't eaten a thing all day, but she didn't care. She lay her head down on the pillow after turning her cell phone off and fell asleep, tears rolling down her cheeks.


	3. What to do?

Luke had Ceaser close up for him that night. He wasn't in the mood to face the people of the town. Knowing all they would do was hound him with questions. He knew they probably knew something was up between them by the state Lorelai was in when she arrived and left the diner.

Why had he let this happen? He loved Lorelai, but he had hardly paid a speck of attention to her for the past four months. Sure, they had spent a lot of time together, but not as much as they used to. Most of his hours were spent with April, or talking about April, or thinking about April. It wasn't wrong, I mean, she was his daughter. But he was engaged. _Was_ engaged.. meaning not anymore.. But he should have treated Lorelai the way she deserved to be treated. She had done so with him. And when he told her about April, she was upset, but had been in everyway supportive. And he thanked her by not letting her meet her.

Now he didn't know what to do. He had to win her back, but how? Things seemed beyond screwed up. He didn't ever remember seeing her as upset as she was last night before. He was going to have to think long and hard about this.

He took a shower and then climbed into bed, hoping sleep would eventually take him over and get his mind off of earlier's incident.

oOoOo

The next morning Lorelai woke up, momentarily forgetting where she was and why. It all came back to her and she got out of bed and began to get dressed, not wanting to think about it. She turned her cell on, not wanting to, but did so in case of an emergency. She didn't feel like doing her hair today, so she just pulled it back into a ponytail, grabbed her purse, and walked out.

She drove around for a while until she found a Starbucks. She got out and went in and ordered a biscotti and an extra strong coffee to-go. She drove back to the hotel and sat in her room, drinking her coffee and eating her biscotti. She was watching tv when her cell rang. She looked at the caller id before answering.

"Hey hun." she said to her daughter.

"Mom, where are you? Sookie told me you just left."

"Yeah.. I'm staying at a Holiday Inn in Maine." she said, looking down.

"What? What are you doing in Maine?"

"It's.. it's complicated." she said, hoping Rory wouldn't push her any further.

"Mom.. you sound upset. What's wrong?"

Lorelai sighed. "I kind of broke it off with Luke."

"What! Why?" Rory asked her, shocked at what she was hearing.

"I.. we.. I don't know. I just couldn't take it. I'm ready Rory, you know I am. But he doesn't seem to be, and I don't want to just sit around waiting." she said, hugging her knees.

"Oh, mom, I'm sorry. I know how much you were looking forward to this."

"Yeah.. and, I mean, he needs time to get to know his daughter. I just figured that if I give him some time, he can do that."

"So.. you aren't really broken up?"

"I just told him it was until he figured things out." she told her, picking at the blanket.

"So, when do you think that will be? And you aren't going to be staying in Maine until then, are you?"

"I don't know Rory... I really don't. And no, I'll be back soon. I just needed to get away.. sort out my thoughts."

Rory could hear in her mother's voice that she wasn't in the mood to be discussing this at the moment.

"Oh.. well, if you need to talk, or just need someone, you can always come to me."

"Thanks sweetie, I'll be back soon. I promise." she said, smiling at her daughters comment. She could always rely on her to make her feel better.

"Ok, where in Maine are you though?"

"Millinocket, why?"

"Just in case."

"Ok, I'll talk to you later."

"Ok, bye mom. I love you."

"I love you too, hun. Bye."

Lorelai hung up her phone and threw it into the chair beside her bed. She leaned against her pillows, pulling the covers around her. She turned on her side and fell asleep.

oOoOo

Rory sat on her bed, thinking about the conversation she just had with her mom. She felt bad for her and wanted to make it better. Her mom and Luke belonged together. Everyone knew it, they had since the beginning. And they waited all those years for eachother and now it was all falling down.

She grabbed her car keys, walking out of the apartment and to her car.

oOoOo

Lorelai woke up not long after she fell asleep. Probably the coffee prevented her from sleeping long. She wished she could have slept longer. But then she didn't. She hadn't been sleeping well for the past few months, but last night and today she really hadn't been sleeping well. She kept having the same dream.

In the dream, she relived the sceen in the apartment. But, when she left, she never came back. She stayed in the same room in the same hotel for the rest of her life, waiting. Waiting for him to come back, and he never did. He moved on with his life, he lived happily. And she was just waiting.

Now, she wasn't just going to sit in the hotel for the rest of her life waiting. She was going to go back home eventually. She just needed a little more time.

She was still pretty upset, and cried from time to time. But she tried not to think about it much. She tried thinking about her responsibilities in life and the things that needed to be done. But, it just kept coming back to her mind. It wouldn't go away.

oOoOo

Rory walked into the familiar place her and her mother used to visit everyday before she went off to college. Although she still came here every now and then, she still missed it. She looked around her at all the people sitting at little tables with coffee mugs in their hands, all talking and having a good time. She saw Lane walk up to a table and take a couple's orders.

"Hey!" she said when she saw Rory and walked over to her.

"Hey Lane!" Rory said, hugging her best friend.

"Haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

"I'm good. I just got done with finals last week. Just been relaxing and catching up on some Z's lately. You?"

"I'm great. Zach and I are looking for a house to buy." she told her, a wide grin on her face.

"Aw, that's cute. Is it gonna be made out of cheese?"

"Well, of course! How could I buy a house that isn't made of cheese?"

Rory laughed at their little joke.

"Ok, well, have you seen Luke around?"

"He's been upstairs all day. I think something happened, I'm not too sure. Miss Patty and Babette have been talking about it, but no one knows for sure what went on."

"Yeah.. well, I'm just going to go up there. I need to talk to him about something." she told her and said bye before disappearing behind the curtain and heading up the stairs.

She knocked on the door, hoping he would answer. He did, and she was a little suprised at the state of him. He looked tired and upset. Well, that was expected. But he looked as if he hadn't slept at all lately.

"Rory... hi.. I wasn't expecting you." he said, suprised to see her here.

"Yeah, I wanted to know if I could talk to you." she said

"Yeah.. uh, sure. " he held open the door for her to come in.

Rory walked in and turned to face him.

"Mom told me what happened."

Luke looked down, not really knowing what to say.

"She's pretty upset. She loves you Luke. And I know you guys have hit a rough patch, but you can get through it."

"I don't know how to fix it.." he said, sitting down and looking at his hands.

"You've fixed it before."

"I know, but this time is different. A lot different. I didn't realise how upset she was over this. I didn't mean for it to happen."

"I know you didn't. You're a guy, no offense. But guys are clueless when it comes to stuff like this. Look, I know April coming into your life was a big shock to you. It was to all of us. But things don't have to change because of it."

"I just didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure if she wanted April in her life."

"Of course she does. And she wants to help in any way she can. Just because you had a kid with another women doesn't mean she's going to want nothing to do with April. She had me with someone else, but I'm still in your life."

"Yeah, I screwed up bad this time didn't I?"

"Yeah, pretty much. But you _can_ fix it."

"I want to, but how? Have you seen her yet? I've never seen her that upset."

"That's because she doesn't want to lose you. I haven't seen her, but I've talked to her. I heard she left, but I didn't know where."

"She left?" he asked, shocked. Nobody had told him this. Yet, he hadn't talked to anybody since he told Ceaser to open up for him.

"Yeah, didn't she tell you?"

"No, where'd she go?"

"Maine. I thought you would have known."

"She went to Maine! What's in Maine?"

"Nothing, she's staying at a Holiday Inn in Millinocket. She said she just needed to get away. What's wrong?"

"Nothing.. look, thanks Rory for coming down here. I have to go." he told her, getting up and grabbing his keys.

"Oh..ok. I'll just get going." she said, completely confused as to what was going on.

"Ok, bye." he said, locking the door after them both and walking out of the diner.

He got into his truck and drove off, knowing exactly where he was going.


	4. Make it right

He was driving down the roads, looking at signs that would point him in the way of Millinocket. He shook his head as he got lost in his thoughts. He didn't understand this. It was very unlike Lorelai to leave town because of something like this. Well, with the exception of Max. But that was a little different.

First of all, she took Rory with her. And she could have easily done the same now since Rory was out of school for the summer. And her leaving without even telling Rory was very odd. If she couldn't even include her daughter, her best friend, in on this, then this was way bigger than he thought. And second of all, she wasn't really in love with Max to begin with and was upset because she thought that she had lost her chance. Her chance for that package. She didn't think she'd ever get it after that.

And, she probably felt the same way now. Probably thinking "It's gone.. _again_. I lost it.. _again_.". And it was all his fault. But still, he never thought she'd leave town because of it. Now he knew that she was more than just extremely upset, she was devestated. Her world as she knew it was seeming to be coming to an end. All she had left was Rory.

The more he thought about this as he drove, the more frustrated he got.

"Damn it!" he muttered, beating his fist on the steering wheel.

He needed to do something. He had to make this work. He couldn't just sit around thinking of ways to get her back, he had to do it whether he was ready or not. If he didn't.. he might lose her for good.

But what will he say when he gets there? Will she even want to talk to him? She did say when he was ready and sorted things out.. but had he sorted things out?

Then it came to him. He had one place to stop at before seeing her.

oOoOo

Lorelai sat on the bed reading a book, one that belonged to Rory. It was _Pride and Prejudice_, which Rory had read when she was ten, and she thought that reading might occupy her mind for a while. There wasn't much you could do in a hotel to keep you busy. All she had was her cell phone, a tv with few stations, and this book.

_Man this guy is a jerk_. She thought, refering to Mr. Darcy. _How could this chick fall for a guy like him? I guess he must get better as the book progresses. I need to stop asking Rory what happens in books before I actually read them._

So far, it seemed to be working. Although she still hadn't forgotten about why she was here. No, she would never forget this.

oOoOo

Luke stood in front of the door, waiting for it to open after he had knocked. A female face appeared behind it with a bit of a suprised face.

"Luke, hi. I wasn't expecting you." Ana said

"Yeah, uh, I was wondering if I could talk to you and April." he said, wringing his hands together nervously.

"Sure, come on in." she said and opened the door wider to let him through. They walked into the living room where April sat on the couch in front of her lap top.

"Hi Luke." she said when she looked up and saw him standing there.

"Hey April. I was wondering if I could talk to you."

"Sure, what's up?" she asked.

"I'll just leave you two to talk." Ana said, heading toward the kitchen.

"Uh, no, stay. You should hear this to." Luke told her.

"O..k." she said sitting down.

"Ok, well, I'm not sure if you know Ana, but I'm engaged. I know you know April. But anyway.. well, we kind of took a wrong turn and I need to fix it. I know you don't really know who Lorelai is, but she's very nice and smart and.. well, she's just a great person. So.. I was wondering Ana, if you wouldn't mind me taking April for a few hours. I want her to meet her."

"Oh, well, that's fine with me if it's ok with April." she said.

"Yeah, it's fine with me."

"Good, good. Well, April, we won't be gone too long." he told her, "I promise I'll have her back by nine, ten at the latest."

"That's fine, she doesn't have school until Wednesday."

"Ok. Thanks for letting me take her."

"Anytime. Be good April." she said and gave her daughter a hug before she left.

"Yeah, yeah, that's what you always say and so far my face has been mug shot free." she said, hugging her mother back.

Ana laughed and walked them to the door and shut it when they left.

oOoOo

Lorelai was still deep into the book when she heard a knock on her door. Thinking it was a maid or something, she walked over to it and opened it. Who she saw was the last person she expected to be standing in front of her this very moment.

"Lu-Luke. Uh, hi.. how..how did you know I was here?" she said, barely getting the words out, still suprised that he showed up here.

"Rory told me." he said. He was nervous beyond belief and prayed that this would work out.

"Oh..well, uh, what are you, um, doing here?"

"I want to talk to you." he said.

Lorelai nodded and sat on the bed after shutting the door, waiting for him to say whatever it was he had to say.

"I, um, I feel really bad for what you've been going through. I didn't mean for any of that to happen. I guess I just got caught up in what was going on with me and stopped thinking about anything else. I didn't realize what a jerk I was being and I'm sorry I was that way to you."

Lorelai just sat, looking at her hands. She didn't know what to do, so she just nodded her head. Luke pulled a chair up in front of her and put a hand on her arm.

"Why didn't you tell me you were so upset?" he asked softly.

Lorelai sat silent for a few minutes. "I didn't want to seem selfish or unreasonable... I knew this wasn't easy for you and didn't want to build up to your stress."

"I don't ever want you bottling up your feelings like you have been for the past few months. That's not good for you, or anyone for that matter. I should have known something was wrong."

"It's ok, you had other things on your mind."

"It's not ok. I want you to always tell me when something is wrong. And I shouldn't just focus my mind on one thing. I know now that you want to meet April, and I didn't let you before because I didn't think you'd want to."

"What? Why would you think that?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I..I don't know. I wasn't sure if you wanted her in your life. I didn't think you'd want that responsibility of being a stepmom and all."

"Of course I want her in my life. Just because you had a kid with another woman doesn't mean that I'm going to look down at her in anger. I had Rory with someone else, but you don't hate her do you?"

"Of course not! I could never hate Rory. Nobody could."

"See? April's a bright girl and she's your daughter. I do want her in my life."

"Well, it's good thing you're saying that because she's here."

"What?"

"April's here. She's out in the hallway."

"You brought her all the way out here? Doesn't she go to a year round school?"

"Yeah, but she's off today and tomorrow." he said. "Hold on. I'll be right back."

He walked out of the room and then walked back in with April. They stood in front of Lorelai and Luke had his hands on both of April's shoulders.

"April, this is Lorelai."

"Hi, nice to meet you.. again." April said, holding out her hand.

Lorelai took it and shook it. She couldn't believe that Luke had actually brought her here.

"Hi April, nice to meet you again too."

"I have to go put more gas in the truck, so I'll be right back." Luke said.

"Oh, ok. Bye." Lorelai said. She was a little nervous about being left alone with April. This was her chance to make a good impression and she didn't want to blow it. She wanted April to like her.

Luke smiled and walked out of the room.

"So, you're engaged to my father?" April asked.

"Well, uh, yes I am." Lorelai told her, not knowing how to say that the engagement was put off. Especially because she was part of the reason for it. She didn't want her to feel like this was her fault, because it wasn't.

"Heard you guys hit a rough patch."

"Yes, we did, but we're working through it."

oOoOo

Luke came back twenty minutes later to find April and Lorelai both sitting on the bed laughing. He wasn't expecting to find this. But he wasn't expecting to come back and find them in a death match either. He was happy to see them like this.

"Hi." he said from the door way.

"Oh hi." they both said, still laughing.

"What's so funny?" he asked them.

"Lorelai just told me something Jay Leno said and it's pretty funny. Ok: Everybody is talking about finding Bin Laden. How about finding Dick Cheney? Where did he go? What have we got caves over here now, too? Where did he go? I think his Secret Service code name is 'Waldo'."

Luke laughed. "Yeah, she has many jokes. Well, I should get you home. It's 8:30."

"Ok, it was nice talking to you Lorelai. Hope to see you soon." April said.

"Yeah, same here." Lorelai said smiling.

"Go ahead and go out into the hallway April. I'll be there in a minute." Luke told her. April nodded and walked out into the hallway.

Luke walked over to Lorelai.

"So, you guys talked?"

"Yeah, she's a sweet kid. Funny too. A lot like Rory."

"Yeah she is. Well, I wanted to come down here to prove to you that I am ready. And I want April to be in your life. I just wasn't sure what you thought. But, I've been thinking and I've changed. I'm not going to be the same person I've been for the past couple of months. I want to marry you and I want to make you happy. I just freaked out when I found out I had a kid and I didn't know what to do. I'm really sorry about this Lorelai. I love you."

Lorelai knew by his tone of voice that he was serious about this. And she was tired of crying and being depressed, she was ready to make things better.

"You're forgiven." she said.

Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object.

"I guess you'll be wanting this back." he said, holding up her ring.

She smiled and he placed the ring back onto her finger.

"I'll see you later?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I just have to check out of here and then I'll head home."

"All right. I'll see you later then."

"Definitely." she said.

Luke pulled her into a hug and then gave her a short albeit loving kiss. He opened the door, waved, and then walked out. Lorelai got her stuff together and then went downstairs to check out. She got into her car and started driving back home. Things seemed to be looking up now and she was relieved. She hated not being with Luke and was glad she was again. Though they still had some things to discuss, it looked as if they wouldn't be running into something like this anymore. Sure, they would have their arguments and usual banters, but that's the way they always were. It had never been this drastic. They were back, and that's all that mattered to her at the moment.

o

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oOo

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Hey guys, I hope you liked this chapter. For those of you who read my other LL fic, Always Be My Baby, I will update that this weekend. I promise. I know it's been a long time, about a month, since that update. Sorry about that. Anyway, about this joke: I had a much funnier one (this one wasn't very funny) to put in, but it was inappropriate and April would not have been allowed to say it and I'm sure Luke wouldn't want his fiance telling his daughter a joke like that. I loved my reviews and I'm happy you guys got so emotional about it. That's what I was aiming for. Happy late Easter to all the Christians. And hope those who aren't had a fun three day weekend.


	5. Time to Talk

It was late at night when Lorelai pulled up in her driveway. She got out of her car, grabbed her bag, and shut the door. She turned to the house to see Luke sitting on the porch, looking down. She walked over to him.

"Hey."

"Hey." he said, looking up at her.

"Come in." she told him, putting the house key into the lock and opening the door. She held it open as Luke walked in and then closed it.

They made their way over to the couch and she dropped the keys onto the coffee table and sat down. Luke sat down beside her and she looked at him. It was time to talk now. They needed to discuss what was going to happen now.

"So, you're sure you're ready for this?" she asked him.

"Yes, I'm positive." he said, nodding to her.

Lorelai nodded. "And April, she's ok with this?"

"Yeah, she's fine with it."

"How about Ana? Because, she's April's mom and I know it must be scary for her. I don't want her to think I'm taking her place or that I'm going to become the evil stepmother and not allow April to go to the ball.." Lorelai rambled and Luke grabbed her hands and held them.

"Lorelai, stop. Ana's fine with it. Besides, I don't need her permission to marry you. This is my decision, and yours. That's it. I promise you, this time we're going to go through with it. We don't have to put it on hold anymore. Just pick the date, find a church, and we're set."

Lorelai smiled. "There's more to a wedding than just picking a date and finding a church."

"I know." he smiled back. "But I'm a guy and how would I possibly know what is involved in planning a wedding?"

"Well, if you work on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy you might."

Luke rolled his eyes and smiled. "You know what I mean."

"I know. And, don't worry. My BFOTB will help me take care of it."

"Oh God, Sookie will definitely make sure that I stay out of the way. It's almost as if I'm not in the wedding at all."

Lorelai laughed. "You can help, too. But, I bet you more than anything you won't enjoy it much."

"I know I won't. But, if you need the help, then I'm here."

"Good. Now, I don't know what we're going to do about a church. We can't have it in the one we originally planned on."

"What about the church in Stars Hollow?"

"We could do that. I'll check it over with Reverand Skinner."

"Ok, and then I guess we can discuss dates?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to him tomorrow and then get back to you."

"How long do you want to wait?"

"For the wedding?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I mean, I don't know how much I can plan in two months. I know I planned it the first time in one day, but I got too lucky then. I don't think I'll be having the same luck. And I already cancelled things and sent things back. So, a summer wedding might not happen."

"How about the fall?"

"The fall sounds good. It might even be warm enough to still wear my original dress."

"Yeah, I'd hate for that dress to go to waste. You looked gorgeous in it."

Lorelai smiled and blushed. "Thanks."

Luke pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry, again." he said into her ear.

"It's ok, Luke."

"I'm never going to do that again. That was the worst I've ever seen you."

"Gee, take me now sailor."

Luke laughed and kissed her forehead. He was so releaved that they were ok now. He was terrified he might have lost her. Only once had he experienced that same feeling and it was when they first broke up. Granted, it had been his fault. But, he never wanted to relive that ever again. Right now, all he wanted was to be reassured that she was here and wasn't going anywhere, and having her close did that.

"You know, you scared the hell out of me when I found out you'd left." he told her, keeping one arm wrapped around her waist.

"Sorry. I just couldn't stay. I had to leave, gather my thoughts."

"I understand. Just don't leave again."

"Well, if things keep going the way they are now, I don't think I'll have to."

"I don't intend on screwing up again."

"It wasn't just your fault. I should have told you."

"I know, but I put you in an awkward position and made you feel like you couldn't."

"It's fine. We're fine now."

"Good."

"Another thing we should discuss."

"What's that?"

"April."

"What about her?"

"Well, when we get married, is the custody situation going to change? Will she be spending weekends with us? Or certain days of the week?"

"I haven't really discussed that with Ana. I think weekends would be best. And days when she's off of school. And we can split our time on holidays."

Lorelai nodded her head. "Ok, that's good with me. I'm fine with anything. Just make sure you talk it over with Ana."

"I will."

"Do you have any early deliveries tomorrow?"

"No."

"Good, lets go to bed."

Luke smiled and got up with her. They walked up the stairs and into the bedroom. Luke changed into a shirt and sweats that he had left there a while ago and Lorelai changed into her favorite blue and white flannel she had kept in her drawer. She climbed into bed and he got in beside her and wrapped his arm around her.

"I love you." he told her.

"I love you to." she said and kissed him goodnight.

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oOo

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Hey guys. I know it's been FOREVER since I updated, but I've been in some serious writers block. And then I had finals and stuff, and I just got back from Cali. So, now I should have more time to update. I know this chapter was extremely short, but it's late and my brain is fully functioning. I hoped you enjoyed it! Lots of loves to my readers and reviewers.


	6. And she returns

**A/N: **Thanks to my reviewers: Christi06, sarahb2007, and jennatheJesusfreak. You guys are the reason for this update.

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The next morning, Lorelai woke up to the sun shining brightly in her eyes. She groaned, knowing that she needed to get up and get ready for work. She opened her eyes and found that the space beside her was empty. For a moment, she thought yesterday had been a dream and that things were still as they were before... bad.

She sighed and began to get up, when something caught her eye. On the pillow beside her was a note. She picked it up and read it.

_Lorelai,_

_Had to open the diner this morning because Caeser couldn't. See you for breakfast._

_Love,_

_Luke_

Lorelai smiled. It hadn't been a dream after all. Everything that had happened yesterday was real and not just her imagination. She climbed out of bed and headed for the shower, ready to begin the day.

oOoOo

"Oh Lucas!" Lorelai chimed as she entered the diner and sat down at the counter. "I need coffee pronto!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "You always need coffee."

"Yes, but today I _really_ need it."

"And you say that all the time, too."

"Come on Luke! Pleeeease." she begged, giving him the infamous pout.

Luke stared at her for a few minutes, but knew he was going to give in eventually. He could never turn down Lorelai when she gave him that face. He sighed and reached for a cup.

"Score! I win." she gloated.

"You did not win." he said.

"Yes I did. I'm irrisistable, so you gave in."

"I gave in because I know that if didn't, I'd have to listen to you complain all day and gripe and whine. And, plus, a coffeeless Lorelai is the last thing I, or anyone else for that matter, wants to deal with."

"Hey! That's not very nice."

"Well, you do get pretty crabby when you haven't had a cup. And I'm only teasing you." he said, leaning over the counter and giving her a short kiss and then pouring coffee into her cup. "Here you go, you junkie. Five more years off your life."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You just keep saying that. I bet I live just as long as you do."

"Uh huh. Not if you keep drinking that stuff, you won't."

"That's the optimistic attitude!" she said sarcastically. "Ok, well, I'm off."

"Ok, see you later."

"You bet. Bye hun." she said, giving him a quick kiss and then walking out of the diner.

oOoOo

Miss Patty had been eyeing the two from a table near by. She had been suprised when the couple seemed to be acting as they usually did, flirting with their usual bantar. Only two days ago Lorelai had walked out of the diner in tears and left town. Now, she was back and everything seemed fine.

She continued watching them closely, when she saw Luke lean over and kiss Lorelai. She got out of her seat and quickly left the diner in search of Babette.

oOoOo

Lorelai walked into the Dragonfly to find Michel standing at the front desk reading Men's Health Magazine. The phone was ringing off the hook and he could clearly hear it, yet chose to ignore it.

"Michel, the phone." she stated in a "duh" tone.

Michel looked up from his magazine annoyed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in his thick French accent.

"What do you mean? I work here." she stated.

"I heard you left."

"Yeah, well, I'm back."

"So, you didn't quit?"

"What? No! Why the hell would I quit?"

"Just when I thought things were starting to look up." he sighed.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Get the phone Michel or find another job."

"Gladly." he said sarcastically before picking up the phone. "Dragonfly Inn, this is Michel Gerard speaking. How may I help you?"

Satisfied, Lorelai walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Sook, got any coffee made?" she asked.

Sookie turned her head away from the stove towards Lorelai.

"Hey! You're back?"

"People, I didn't permanantly leave. I was just going away for a little while." she said to the room.

"Well, after you left the Inn I called you house and you didn't pick up so I went over to the diner to see if you were there. I ran into Miss Patty and she said she saw you leaving town. She told me you looked like you'd been crying and had come down from Luke's apartment."

"Yeah, well, I left and now I'm back." she told her, making herself a cup of coffee and taking a sip.

"What happened? Are you ok?" Sookie asked gently.

"Sookie I'm fine."

"Well.. I heard you broke it off with Luke..." she said tentavely.

"It's a long story. But, I didn't really break it off with Luke. We're fine now. Really."

"Positive?"

"In fact, you better start getting a head start on finding a babysitter because you, my friend, have a wedding to help plan."

"Oh my God! You two are finally doing it! You're really getting married!" Sookie said excitedly, clapping her hands.

"Yes we are." Lorelai told her smiling. "This fall. Don't expect to have any free weekends in the near future, because I need my BFOTB to help me with the wedding plans. We have so much to do. Find caterers, floral arrangements, and all that jazz."

Sookie squealed and hugged Lorelai tightly.

"Sookie, hun, air." Lorelai gasped.

"Sorry. " she said, loosening her grip and standing back. "Ok, I want details!"

"Well, I went to Maine and Luke ended up finding out where I was and came after me. We talked and I told him everything and he let me meet April."

"He did! You guys drove all the way from Maine to Woodbridge to meet her?"

"No, he brought her."

"He brought her?"

"Yeah, anyway, so he let me meet her and it went pretty well. She's such a sweet kid. Then we went home, after he dropped April off, and talked. He told me he was really ready this time and to go ahead and start making plans. He even offered to help."

"Wow, he really does love you."

"Yeah, he does." she said and smiled. "Anyway, I'm going to talk to Reverand Skinner today to see if we can get married at the church here, because the one we were originally going to get married in is all booked."

"Have you guys chose a date yet?"

"No, not yet, that's why I'm going to talk to Reverand Skinner first. But we agreed the fall would be a good time."

"Are you still going to wear your dress?"

"Of course! After all, it is the perfect dress."

"I can't wait! After all these months, it's finally happening."

"I know. I'm happy."

"Me too."

"Well, better get to work."

"Bye."

"Bye."

oOoOo

"Hey." Lorelai said, walking into the diner.

"Hey. Hungry?" Luke asked her.

"Mmmm... I think I'll just have some pie."

"I'm not letting you have only pie for dinner."

"Aww, why not? It's good."

"How about you eat a salad and then I'll give you pie?"

"Do you want me to die early?"

"With all the coffee you consume, it doesn't matter what I want."

"Are we seriously doing this again?"

"One salad isn't going to kill you."

"How about a cheeseburger and fries, and _then_ pie?"

"Fine, as long as you have a meal that doesn't just consist of sugar." he said, jotting down her order.

"I talked to Reverand Skinner today."

"Really? What did he say?"

"He said the church is free September seventh through the eighteenth and October fifteenth through the twenty-sixth."

"We might have to have it in September if you still want to wear your dress, because if we have it that late in October, it'll be freezing."

"True, and we'll have to have it on a weekend so people can actually attend. So, that leaves us with eighth, ninth, tenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth."

"Do you want to have it a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday?" he asked.

"Hmm... maybe a Saturday."

"Alright, that leave the ninth and sixteenth."

"How about the ninth?"

Luke shook his head. "Yeah, the ninth sounds good."

"Good." she said smiling. "Now that that is out of the way, Sookie and I can begin our plans."

"Have fun." he said and kissed her, then went to check on her food.

Lorelai dug through her purse for her cell phone, then dialed her daughters number.

"Hello?"

"Hey kid. It's me."

"Mom, hey! How are you? Are you ok?"

"Hun, chill, I'm fine. Everything's fine."

"Really? Oh, good. What happened? I wanna know."

"Well, Luke came after me, we talked, I met April, went home, talked some more and set a date!"

"You met April?"

"Yeah, I'll give you the details later tonight."

"I'll hold you to that. And you set a date? When?"

"Just now. September ninth at the church here in Stars Hollow."

"Finally! It's about time." Rory said happily.

Lorelai chatted with Rory for a little while longer and then began to eat. It had been a good day for her, probably the best she'd had in months. She just really hoped it would stay that way. She'd had enough drama for now.

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**A/N: **So... what did you think? It was a pretty pointless chapter, but it's a chapter none the less: ) I'm gonna be gone all next week, so I won't have time to update. I'll try to update more before I leave. For those who asked, Cali was great! I had a blast.


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